Friday, March 26, 2010

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 3/26/10) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said today that the Arkansas Department Corrections (ADC) has apologized for a December 2009 incident in which a Muslim visitor to a prison in Pine Bluff, Ark., was barred from entering the facility because of her Islamic head scarf, or hijab. The woman, who was willing to submit to a pat-down search by a female officer, was prevented from entering even though she had passed through a metal detector without setting it off.

When the woman stated that she wears her scarf for religious reasons, she was allegedly told that religious accommodation is provided to inmates, but not visitors.

In a letter to CAIR, an ADC representative apologized for "any embarrassment and inconvenience" experienced by the Muslim visitor. That official told CAIR that women wearing head coverings for religious or medical reasons may be searched in a private area by a female security officer.

A breakfast to tout the importance of passing an earthquake-safety bond measure on the June ballot wound up sending shock waves through San Francisco's Arab American community after Police Chief George Gascón made controversial remarks about terrorism.

Gascón reportedly said the Hall of Justice at 850 Bryant St. is susceptible not just to an earthquake, but also to members of the city's Middle Eastern community parking a van in front of it and blowing it up. (More)

St. Cloud school district and leaders of a Minnesota Islamic civil rights group agreed Friday to continue to work together to make schools safe for all students.

Members of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' Minnesota chapter and St. Cloud school district officials met in St. Cloud for about 90 minutes Friday to discuss the complaint CAIR filed with the U.S. Department of Education claiming that Muslim students confront a hostile learning environment in St. Cloud schools. It is expected to take a month to determine whether there will be an investigation.

The school district has agreed that human resources director and human rights director Tracy Flynn Bowe will serve as the point person for any future complaints CAIR hears from St. Cloud students.

CAIR has also agreed to consider writing a second letter to the Department of Education saying that CAIR and St. Cloud school district have been partners in working through issues in the schools. The two sides are also considering a joint statement to the community saying the same thing. (More)

A growing number of African-American groups are expressing concern about the case of Luqman Ameen Abdullah, the Muslim cleric shot dead on Oct. 28 by FBI agents seeking to arrest him in a sting operation.

Linking his death to other victims of police shootings, several African-American groups plan to rally Saturday at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, the scene of a police shootout in 1969 involving a black nationalist group that sparked criticism.

Abdullah's death has prompted complaints from advocacy groups about excessive force and profiling of poor minorities. Abdullah was African American, as were most of his followers, and he headed a mosque in a poor area...

On Sunday, the Rev. Jesse Jackson is to be the keynote speaker in Dearborn at the annual banquet for the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

"African Americans have a long history of being victims of excessive force by law enforcement," said Dawud Walid, who is African American and director of the Islamic group. "And so that history, coupled with the circumstances behind the imam's death, has triggered an organic response." (More)

DEARBORN -- The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) says it will conduct its own forensic investigation into the Oct. 28 shooting death of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah during an FBI raid on a Dearborn warehouse. (More)

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IRAN FILM PLANNED BY GROUP THAT MADE SPLASH WITH RIGHT-WING DVD ON ISLAM -TOPJustin Elliott, Talking Points Memo, 3/26/10

Just in time for the campaign season, the right-wing Clarion Fund, which shipped out 28 million DVDs to swing state voters in 2008 warning of the threat of radical Islam, has announced it's working on a new film, this one on "the Iranian Nuclear threat."

In a little-noticed press release this week, the Clarion Fund, which was behind Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against The West, said the new film will "document the development of the Iranian nuclear program, the threats posed by such a program, and the West's inability to recognize the true nature of an extremist Islamic Revolutionary regime..."

The release also says the Iranian regime has an "extremist and apocalyptic messianic ideology" and it "has terrorized the world at large for over 30 years."

Obsession was described by the Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg as "designed to make naive Americans believe that B-52s filled with radical jihadists are about to carpet-bomb their churches, and are only awaiting Barack Obama's ascension to launch the attack." (More)

WASHINGTON, March 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Senior Judge Robert L. Echols of the Middle District of Tennessee today sentenced Eric Ian Baker to 183 months in prison for vandalizing and burning down the Islamic Center of Columbia, Tenn., the Justice Department announced. Baker pleaded guilty on Sept. 18, 2009, to destruction of religious property and using fire to commit a felony.

Baker, 34, previously admitted to the court that he and two others constructed Molotov cocktail explosive devices, ignited them and used them to destroy the mosque on Feb. 9, 2008. Baker further admitted that he committed the arson because of the religious character of the property and that he painted swastikas and the phrase "White Power" on the mosque in the course of the arson.

One of Baker's co-defendants, Michael Corey Golden, was sentenced to 171 months for his role in the arson. The other co-defendant, Jonathan Edward Stone, pleaded guilty but has not yet been sentenced.

"The right to worship without fear of this kind of violent interference is among our mostfundamental civil rights," said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. "We will aggressively prosecute anyone who seeks to intimidate or injure any congregation because of what they believe, how they worship, or who they are."

"This type of crime strikes at the heart of our civil rights and religious freedoms in America. I am very pleased that through local, state and federal cooperation, all defendants responsible for this vile attack have been brought to justice," said U.S. Attorney Edward M. Yarbrough for the Middle District of Tennessee.

This case was investigated by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Tennessee State Bomb and Arson and the Columbia, Tenn., Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal McDonough from the U.S. Attorney's Office inNashville and Trial Attorney Jonathan Skrmetti from the Civil Rights Division prosecuted the case.

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COULTER: "IF ALL MUSLIMS WOULD BOYCOTT AIRLINES, WE COULD DISPENSE WITH AIRPORT SECURITY ALL TOGETHER" - TOP

Thursday, March 25, 2010

AFTER THE FORT HOOD SHOOTINGS, A MUSLIM AMERICAN SOLDIER BATTLES ON FRIENDLY GROUND - TOPBy William Wan, Washington Post, 3/24/10

At 2 o'clock on a Monday morning, the sound of angry pounding sent Army Spec. Zachari Klawonn bolting out of bed.

THUD. THUD. THUD.

Someone was mule-kicking the door of his barracks room, leaving marks that weeks later -- long after Army investigators had come and gone -- would still be visible.

By the time Klawonn reached the door, the pounding had stopped. All that was left was a note, twice folded and wedged into the doorframe.

"F--- YOU RAGHEAD BURN IN HELL" read the words scrawled in black marker.

The slur itself was nothing new. Klawonn, 20, the son of an American father and a Moroccan mother, had been called worse in the military. But the fact that someone had tracked him down in the dead of night to deliver this specific message sent a chill through his body.

Before he enlisted, the recruiters in his home town of Bradenton, Fla., had told him that the Army desperately needed Muslim soldiers like him to help win the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Yet ever since, he had been filing complaint after complaint with his commanders. After he was ordered not to fast and pray. After his Koran was torn up. After other soldiers jeered and threw water bottles at him. After his platoon sergeant warned him to hide his faith to avoid getting a "beating" by fellow troops. But nothing changed.

[...]

He returned to Fort Hood this month a different man, no longer content to stay inside the lines of command with his complaints. He had the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights group in Washington, send a letter to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates. He also agreed to meet with a reporter from The Washington Post. (More)

(COLUMBUS, OH - 3/24/10) - Some 350 people turned out on Saturday for the 13th annual banquet of the Columbus chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio).

[Those who weren't able to attend the dinner still have a great opportunity to help continue CAIR-Columbus' important work and successes by clicking here: CAIR-Columbus donation page.]

Former president of CAIR-Ohio, Asma Mobin-Uddin, was presented with an I-CAIR award in honor of her 11 years of service to CAIR-Ohio and the Muslim Community. Mobin-Uddin was one of the co-founders of CAIR-Ohio and served as president until December 2009.

Attendees also got to hear firsthand about the important legal work of CAIR-Columbus through a moving testimonial given by a client who is a college professor and has been experiencing harassment due to his religion and race for the last several years.

Other highlights of the evening included speeches by Zeinab Schwen, the newly elected CAIR-Ohio President, and Donald Furbee, President of CAIR-Columbus, as well as a hit performance by comedian Azhar Usman from the "Allah Made Me Funny" comedy tour.

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

(SOUTHFIELD, MI, 3/24/10) - The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) yesterday participated in a rally calling for a citizens review board for the Hamtramck Police, which reflects community demographics and calling for an end to racial profiling.

The rally, which was organized by the Hamtramck branch of the NAACP was sparked after the arrest of an elderly African-American Baptist pastor for inquiring into why the Hamtramck Police performed a traffic stop on a family member.

Speakers at the rally attended by some 200 people from the African-American, Yemeni-American, and Bengali-American communities included representatives from the NAACP, the office of Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality, the National Lawyers Guild and CAIR-MI.

"We stand with other civil rights advocates calling for regularly scheduled sensitivity trainings for Hamtramck Police officers and an end to racial profiling," said CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid.

Walid also notes that Hamtramck is the most densely populated city of Muslims in Michigan with approximately 50% of its residents being Muslim from Bengali-American, Yemeni-American, Bosnian-American and African-American backgrounds.

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

The Minnesota chapter of a national Islamic civil liberties group has asked federal education officials to investigate what it calls "growing racial and religious tensions" in the state's schools.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) announced Wednesday that its members want the U.S. Department of Education to probe incidents publicized in the news media that it characterized as "anti-Muslim."

The request came a day after Muslims held a rally at the state Capitol to raise several issues, among them a reported increase in harassment and discrimination in Minnesota schools.

Among the incidents the organization cited were cases in which Muslim students were called "towel heads" and were subjected to racial slurs. (More)

A Muslim civil rights group in Minnesota has asked the U.S. Department of Education to investigate what it calls a hostile learning environment toward Muslims in St. Cloud and other Minnesota schools.

The request comes from the Council of American-Islamic Relations. The group says there are a growing number of instances in Minnesota schools in which Muslim students are harassed and discriminated against. Some of the incidents took place at Apollo and Technical high schools, the group said.

"We just want them to investigate these incidents," said Lori Saroya, president of the Minnesota chapter of CAIR. "We think there needs to be something statewide, something larger to take place." (More)

The Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CAN) has condemned the vandalism of a Montreal synagogue and is calling on police to bring the perpetrators to justice. According to news reports [first reported by VIN News] vandals used a marker to scrawl swastikas in the bima (podium) and threw religious objects, including prayer shawls and books, on the ground. The vandalism was discovered on Saturday morning and, according to neighbours, is the second time the Hassidic synagogue has been the target in a month.

In a statement released today, CAIR-CAN said:

"CAIR-CAN stands with all Canadians in denouncing this act of hate. It is particularly disturbing to see the Montreal community disrupted by an act of hate for the second time in less than a month. The continued vandalism of a peaceful community with hateful messages is a shameful attempt to disrupt the social cohesion that the citizens of Montreal work hard to foster and enjoy," said Ihsaan Gardee, Executive Director of CAIR-CAN.

"CAIR-CAN calls on local politicians and security officials in Montreal as well as provincial and federal governments to work together to combat this recent spate of hate crimes. We also call on the authorities to prosecute the perpetrators of these acts under hate crime legislation to send a strong message against intolerance."

"These acts represent not only the intent to cause physical damage but an attempt to divide communities by further stigmatizing visible and vulnerable minorities. We also urge the synagogue leaders and officials to remain vigilant and to immediately report suspicious behaviour to the proper authorities, in order to establish a clear record of such incidents."

CAIR-CAN is a national, non-profit, grassroots organization striving to be a leading voice that enriches Canadian society through Muslim civic engagement and the promotion of human rights.

Firebrand conservative Ann Coulter's lecture at a Canadian college was cancelled Tuesday night over fears students would riot over racist remarks she made to Muslims.

Security at the University of Ottawa scrapped the right-wing darling's talk when more than 2,000 students showed up to protest her telling a Muslim student Monday to "take a camel" as an alternative to flying.

Coulter's tasteless comment came after previously she told a gathering that Muslims shouldn't be allowed on airplanes and should take "flying carpets."

The camel quip came when Muslim student Fatima Al-Dhaher challenged Coulter on the remark - and told her she didn't have a flying carpet.

"What mode of transportation?" Coulter responded. "Take a camel."

Students jeered Coulter's remarks, and showed up in mass Tuesday night let her know she was not welcome at the school.

Written by Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, an American Islamic outreach worker, the Imam Johari blog rallies Muslim communities to stand up for the environment, end violence against women and work to eradicate poverty.

A new national Louis Harris poll finds that a majority of Republicans believe that President Obama is a Muslim, while 45 percent agree with the so-called "Birthers" that the president was "not born in the United States."

The poll of 2,230 Americans, taken during last weekend's health care showdown in the House of Representatives, shows how successful Obama's opponents have been in demonizing the 44th president.

Full results are expected tomorrow, but preliminary findings were released in The Daily Beast by John Avlon, whose book "Wingnuts" details the hyper-partisanship that has swept America since 2008.

According to the poll, 57 percent of Republicans, and 32 percent of Americans overall, believe that Barack Obama is a Muslim. The opinion comes despite Obama's description in his bestseller, "The Audacity of Hope", of his adoption of the Christian faith.

The poll found that 45 percent of Republicans, and 25 percent in the overall survey, agree with Birthers that Obama was "not born in the United States and so is not eligible to be president."

Even Fox News pundits, notably Bill O'Reilly, have dismissed the Birthers' claims. The state of Hawaii produced Obama's birth certificate during the 2008 campaign.

Another eye-opening finding: 38 percent of Republicans, and 20 percent of Americans overall, agree that Obama is "doing many things Hitler did."

And 24 percent of Republicans, and 14 percent overall, agree that Obama "may be the antiChrist." (More)

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Sunni Muslim inmates serving time in maximum security at the Adult Correctional Institutions are suing prison administrators, accusing them of violating their rights by denying them the freedom to pray together and meals that comply with their faith.

The Muslim Brotherhood of the Islamic Faith allege in a suit filed in U.S. District Court that correctional officers routinely taunt them by calling them terrorists and the Taliban. The inmates say the guards threaten to retaliate against their complaints by placing them in isolation. (More)

(WASHINGTON, DC, 3/25/2010) -- Representatives from a number of chapters of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) met recently with elected officials and staffers at dozens of Capitol Hill offices in Washington, D.C., to discuss issues such as racial profiling, immigration reform and housing foreclosures.

Lawmakers were asked to re-introduce and pass the End Racial Profiling Act and to reject racial profiling because it is an ineffective law enforcement tool.

The CAIR representatives asked that any comprehensive immigration reform legislation include 1) measures that regulate wages and working conditions to protect workers from being exploited and 2) security procedures that ensure professional and effective border enforcement while respecting basic legal protections.

Elected officials were asked to support legislation that would give bankruptcy judges the ability to rework defaulted home mortgages to make them affordable. They were also asked to support the recently-created unit within the Department of Justice that will target unfair lending practices.

CAIR has published a "Civic Participation Handbook" designed to provide best practices and step-by-step guides for everything from holding voter registration drives to making the most of a meeting with elected officials.

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

When Imam Siraj Wahhaj was diagnosed with prostate cancer a year ago and discovered that his health insurance did not cover treatment, the word went out.

"People all over the world called me and said, 'I'm praying for you,' " said Wahhaj, head of the Muslim Alliance in North America. "But what about the little guys? No one is praying for them. No one is raising money for them."

Yesterday, the national social service organization announced intentions to create a network of free clinics - some existing, others new - staffed by volunteers in underserved Muslim communities nationwide, starting in Philadelphia. (More)

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CAIR-MI REP CLARIFIES MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT ISLAM AT COMMUNITY COLLEGE - TOP

(SOUTHFIELD, MI, 3/25/10) -- A representative of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) yesterday gave a presentation to students at Macomb Community College in Clinton Township clarifying misconceptions about Islam and Muslims.

CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid discussed the Islamic belief that Jews, Christians, and Muslims worship the same deity, the importance of Jesus in Islamic texts, women’s rights in the Qur’an, and the meaning of jihad (exertion) according to mainstream Islamic scholars.

"We welcome such opportunities to dispel misconceptions about Islam and to highlight the common values which all people of faith share," said CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid.

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CAIR-Chicago is a chapter of America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

MUSLIM CIVIL RIGHTS GROUP SAYS HARASSMENT IS ON THE RISE IN MINNESOTA SCHOOLS - TOPAmbar Espinoza, Minnesota Public Radio, 3/24/10

St. Paul, Minn. -- A Muslim civil rights group says racial and religious tensions in Minnesota public schools are on the rise -- and they're asking the U.S. Department of Education to investigate.

A growing number of Muslim high school students are reporting harassment from other students, teachers and even a bus driver, according to Lori Saroya, president of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic relations (CAIR).

Saroya says the worst complaints that students filed with her group come from outside the Twin Cities.

"But the bigger problem that we're seeing is from St. Cloud and Owatonna--some of the non-Twin Cities metro schools. And they're just so severe," said Saroya. (More)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- A Muslim civil rights group said Wednesday it wants the U.S. Department of Education to investigate reports of harassment in Minnesota public schools -- including a report of a bus driver who routinely left Muslim students stranded in the middle of winter. (More)